ID: 2104
Presenting Author: Marci Riel
Session: 749 - Engaging Indigenous Nations for Inclusive Impact Assessments and Misinformation Response
Status: pending
The Red River Métis are one of three constitutionally recognized Indigenous Peoples in Canada. Learn how our Nation has been combating identity theft in impact assessment.
The Red River Métis are one of three constitutionally recognized Indigenous Peoples of Canada. Our Nation has been under attack by identity theft for decades which has led to significant economic and social impacts, including those resulting from engagement and consultation.
Identity fraud impacts our citizens because they take up the spaces reserved by institutions and government that are intended to balance social inequity. These stolen opportunities include academic, federal and provincial jobs, research funding, grants and bursaries for students, procurement for major projects, citizens seeking political standing, and the list goes on.
When it comes to our constitutionally protected rights fraud and misinformation have been undermining our nation as well. There are groups and organizations of people in Canada that claim to be Métis, the wear our sashes, play our music, share images of our historic leaders like Louis Riel, but they are not us. They are people who have no connection to our historic homeland and never experienced our suffering, they did not participate in the 125 years of strife, nor did they spend the last 50 years fighting court case after court to bring the Red River Métis to where we are today. There are organizations like this that will engage with proponents and consult with regulators as an Indigenous People while having no real claim or right to do so.
There are real and tangible actions that institutions and all levels of government can take to ensure their procurement and employment policies, meant to benefit Red River Métis actually do so.
Marci Riel is Senior Director of Energy, Infrastructure, and Resource management at the Manitoba Métis Federation, the National Government of the Red River Métis.
Coauthor 1: Christian Goulet